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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Here you go:
[img]http://vid1087.photobucket.com/album...s/IMG_1572.mp4[/img] [img]http://vid1087.photobucket.com/album...s/IMG_1571.mp4[/img] I can't seem to figure out how to post the image of a photobucket video file. The video link tab only has Google, facebook, etc, no photobucket. Anyone have some advice? |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
OK lets see how this goes. Click on the photos
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...h_IMG_1572.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...h_IMG_1571.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
That is smooth!
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Took Gramma's car out for some mileage. I have 100 miles on the 455 now! Got caught in a freak, one-minute long, snow storm on Sunday. I stopped at a traffic light. All of sudden the clouds blocked out the sun and snowflakes started fluttering all over the place. The light turned green, the snow stopped, the sun came out and I continued back home. Very bizarre to say the least.
Maybe it was the odometer reading 797797 ? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...8-img_1559.jpg And safely back at the ranch. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...9-img_1574.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...0-img_1576.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Looks Great, Steve!!
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Thanks! I ordered a B&M shift kit from Summit Racing for the car. It should be here this week in time for the weekend install. The original TH350 transmission has been babied all these years and operates fine but shifts way too smooth and slow. I would rather have it shift firmly and quickly. This car is silent inside when you roll up the windows and you can barely feel the tranny shift when it is rolling. Needs some real exhaust, and some chirping gears! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Great sound!!!
You are one of the most tenacious car guys around!! Ryan PS: what would happen to a sleepy old Oldsmobile if I dropped it off at your place? If you are hurting for the next project just give me a call:-) |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Maybe one of these days I'll get to work on my Father-In-Law's '71 Cutlass S convertible. It is that neat metallic orange color. He is retired and cruises that car every day in the summer months up north. It's got a 350 Olds engine.
I wonder if a 455 Olds swaps with a 350 in the same way as a Pontiac? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Sounds & looks great.. That cam definitely does a little talkin'..
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Today I went to my buddy's garage to use the lift and over the course of several hours, we installed the B&M Shift Improver kit. This is the one that gives you two options: heavy duty or street/strip. We went with the street/strip option. It made an unbelievable improvement in the transmission's operation.
Before, it felt like there was no discernable shifting from second to third - just a mysterious melange of engine and transmission movement/noise that would last for several seconds. It was way too buffered and smooth - like they designed it for a Cadillac not a Pontiac. Now the thing shifts quickly and firmly like it should, from first to second and second to third. Downshifts are much crisper and firmer, too. Best $95 I've spent so far. We also installed the Summit Racing one-piece, reusable, rubber and steel backed pan gasket. Excellent piece and doesn't leak like the OEM cork gasket. And what did we find in the filter? Well, anyone with a Jack Russell knows how those critters shed. I found one of his white dog hairs in the filter! What the heck he was doing in the transmission pan, I have no idea. But he has been known to drive the car now and then... The filter. Note the hair in the orange circle: https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...-img_1601a.jpg The rest of the internals looked pretty clean for 79,000 miles: https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...8-img_1607.jpg The little hairball, caught in the act... https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...9-s7003425.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Ya' wanna' bet that little pooch supervised tranny maintenance at one time or another? LOL
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
For the past week or so I have been chasing this annoying bog when I try to floor the pedal off idle. I tried different timing, plugs, secondary spring tension adjustments, swapped out with different carbs several times, even checked on torque converter stall... yada, yada, yada. Still it bogged.
I have querying all the Jedi Masters about possible solutions and I found it today. Cliff Ruggles mentioned in an email that he had seen this sort of thing happen in aftermarket air cleaners when the lid was too close to the top of the carburetor. All this time I had been thinking it can't be that simple...well it was. I have a reproduction ram air filter unit and the lid was so close to the base that it was restricting the air flow at full throttle. Today I was adjusting the timing and I tried the car without the air filter and no bog appeared. So I thought: "Great, it was timing afterall!" So I put the air filter unit back on and attached the lid - the bog appeared full force. So that confirmed it: It was the lid and the short filter! So I installed an old, taller element from a shaker unit - (it makes the lid stick up a 1/4 inch above sealing with the base), and tried it. No bog! So let that be a lesson to you all. Sometimes it's the stupid little stuff that will drive you crazy. THANK YOU CLIFF RUGGLES! Here is the old filter and the new one. Only a 3/8" difference made all the difference. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...5-img_1625.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...6-img_1626.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Here's the before video with the bog:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/..._IMG_1591.jpeg and the after, without the bog: http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/..._IMG_1627.jpeg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]
Sometimes the simplest things trip us up! Glad you finally found the culprit. |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Thanks Eric. I knew it wasn't your carb. It had to be something ridiculous which is par for the course any time I am working on a new project. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]
Maybe I can blame it on the boy. He tightened the wingnut when we first installed the air cleaner. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Wow, big difference.
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
You're tellin' me! I almost wound up in the neighbor's front yard when it shifted into second with the tires still spinning. And those are 275/40x17s. Time to work on better brakes.
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Neat info Steve!
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
BTW, all this launching and bouncing around - my fuel tank sender just pooped out and is reading 3 o'clock. If I disconnect the electrical connection and ground the wire in the trunk, the gauge works again. I guess that means it's the sender...Oh, and they don't make them for 1975 Firebirds. Only 1976 and newer or 74 and older. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
The 74-74 Camaro/Firebird sender is made of unobtanium (no one reproduces the correct version as they have a different dual line routing than the 76 to 81 units. You can make a 76-81 work with some creating cutting nad reflaring.
One of the guys at PY thread indicated the "3 o'clock" fault is a common problem and has to do with the internal ground strap for the sender, the metal strap that grounds the meter float assembly inside the tank. It was kind of funny because the solutions all referred back to my "derusting" thread and another use for the liquid deruster. The only problem is that you have to remove the sender to soak it. Oh, well, another day another challenge... |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
The bog' is really gone:-)
Ryan |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
As mentioned -- "I have querying all the Jedi Masters about possible solutions and I found it today. Cliff Ruggles mentioned in an email that he had seen this sort of thing happen in aftermarket air cleaners when the lid was too close to the top of the carburetor. All this time I had been thinking it can't be that simple...well it was".
This issue has been around awhile -- some carbs vent tubes are "square" cut ... flat on top and some are angled. If an the air cleaner restricts vent air flow that will raise heck with the carb. Some Holley carb vents are flat and some are angle cut -- I would believe Holley went to angled vents to prevent air cleaner lids from blocking air flow. Just sayin' ... TAZ |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Yesterday, I hung out a my buddy Al's repair shop (where old the old guys and old cars hang out). He was trobleshooting some carb issues on a friend's 1970 Challenger 440 R/T. It bogs under 1500 rpm when accelerating (no it wasn't the aircleaner!). I got to play chase car in Gramma's car. No problem whatsoever, keeping up! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]
I think I found a new customer for Eric's carb rebuilding shop. My friend has been through several Carter AVS carbs over the past year or two but also found out that the main cause of the problem was a hidden crack in the intake valley portion of the factory cast iron intake which masked a massive internal vacuum leak. Now that the leak is settled and the engine is rebuilt, he needs the carb(s) set up properly for the engine. So I gave him Eric's contact info. |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Thank you Steve. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
You gotta help him. That 440 was no match for the <span style="font-style: italic">"Little Old Lady from East Westchester"</span>! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Careful what'cha ask for... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Got around to fixing the gas gauge issue today. I ended up ordering a new Spectra GM203 tank, straps, and sending unit. Since no one makes the sending unit for the 1974 and 75 Camaros and Firebirds. I ended up ordering a Spectra FG103C sending unit which is listed for the 1976 and newer cars (not for the 1974 and 75s, which no one makes). I ordered the tank from Advanceautoparts and used a 40% coupon so the tank only ended up costing $100 with free shipping.
You have to specifically know what you are looking for and what your car has. It seems that some of the Camaros and Firebirds used two vent lines on the passenger side and ran the main 3/8 fuel line on the driver's side (Gramma's car). The aftermarket manufacturers don't want to hear that. Most of the major fuel/brake line repro houses sell the unit that has one vent and one fuel line on the passenger side. So I ordered two different sending units and sent the incorrect one back. It turns out that the Spectra FG103C is nearly identical to the 1975 sender, other than an extra 3" and a 90 degree bend at the end. All I had to do to make it work was cut the last 3" off and flare the line and I was all set to go. I am glad I ended up ordering all the extras and not just the sending unit. One of the straps was corroded and broke at the bend point when I went to remove it. And the tank has a bad design in that it routes the 3/8" fuel line in the inset area alongside the outer flange, behind the tank. This inset area retains around a 1/2" of crud which corrodes the line after 40 years or so. The old tank: https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...6-img_1638.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...7-img_1639.jpg The old sending unit compared to the new one installed in the new tank. You can see the final bend in the new one that needed to be trimmed off. The copper line that is soldered in the top of the new tank needed to be connected to the vent line that I trimmed off the old tank. Two inches of 1/4" hose and a couple of clamps worked fine. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...8-img_1640.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...9-img_1641.jpg I did check the old sending unit once I removed it from the old tank. It would read properly at around 1/4 tank level but once you moved the float up, it would short out and spin the indicator needle off the guage. The new one worked fine - I made sure I tested it in the car before installing it. (once bitten twice shy...) [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Today was winter prep day. I added Stabil to all the tanks and filled them up. Took the SD455, the WS6, and Gramma's car out for runs on the same route.
I can definitely say that the Gramma motor is stronger than a stock SD455. I tried the same off-idle take off up a long highway onramp near the house. The SD455 got traction, launched, and chirped second going up the hill, hitting around 75 once it hit third on the highway. The Grammamobile spun the 275/40x17s well into second, then launched up the hill into third and was doing 95 at the same point that the SD455 was doing 75. Can't wait to get a real exhaust on this car! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
----I have been patiently waiting for the comparison, and I was right about the outcome,,,,for once......Bill S
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
The SD has 3.08s and the Grammobile has 3.42s. The 3.08 rear gear would be a much better gear for the Gramma car. Those 3.42s are just a bit too steep for a low rpm engine. The power band is 2,000 to 5,000 on this engine. You really notice the pull when it hits the sweet spot. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]
Maybe Kwhizz can install an overdrive tranny for me. This car really needs an an extra gear. |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
200R4 automatic would be a relatively easy swap.
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Just got a set of the new Max Performance ram air manifolds and a Pypes 2-1/2 inch crossflow system installed on the car. HOLY @#% what a difference. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif[/img] No traction whatsoever now when you hit the gas off-idle.
I'll get some photos of the system tomorrow. I just got back from the shop a few minutes ago. Of course I had a fun trip with my truck and trailer. Four miles from the shop I felt a jolt in the front brakes and the pedal felt weird. I pulled over but couldn't see any leaks or anything noticeable. I thought that maybe the ABS was acting up? I limped the remaining four miles to the shop and then crawled underneath the truck. It turns out that the left front disc brake dust shield broke loose and instead of falling to the ground, it rotated around and rolled itself up like a windowshade, in between the inside brake pad and the rotor. Oy! I was able to unbolt the caliper and using a pair of pliers, cutters, a hammer, and a big screw driver, pulled the shrapnel out. Luckily I had an extra set of pads in my tool box as the inner pad was all chewed up. As frightening as the metal penetration was, all stuck in there, all I heard was a barely noticeable scraping sound, no-where near as loud as even a wear indicator. Got it fixed and back on its wheel in record time - 30 minutes. So it pays to carry a lot of old parts when you drive an old truck. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Here's the new manifolds just after the box was opened. Just in time for an early X-mas gift!
They come with a heat-coated finish already so you don't have to send them out get Jet-Hot coated and wait for the return trip. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...3-img_1644.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...4-img_1645.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...5-img_1647.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...6-img_1648.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...7-img_1649.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...2-img_1779.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
----I take it you like these ram-air manifolds as much as I do. When restoring my 69 GP/SJ 428/370 I couldn't bring myself to schlep the log manifolds back on the car. Those have to be the most restrictive exhaust manifolds known to man!!! Along with some other judicious modifications that no one will ever see, I thing I am well beyond the 390 rated 428/HO Grand Prix top engine option......Bill S
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
I went the ramair manifold route because no tubular steel headers ever seal properly on a Pontiac...and they fry starters...and boil the oil filters...and drag on the ground...and are impossible to install, etc,.
These manifolds flow nearly as well as a good set of tube headers but do it very quietly with no ground clearance issues. |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Amazing what happens when an engine can exhale, ain't it? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]
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Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
1 Attachment(s)
Very cool Steve! I have a set of Ram Air Restorations manifolds for my 1969 Firebird, RAIV ports, with a 3" outlet. Beautiful pieces! Unfortunately, I have aluminum heads (doctored to appear stock) and a pretty healthy cam, and I noticed a big dropoff at around 4500 rpm with the manifolds. I removed them after only running them for a few weeks.
But on a stock or near stock car, these enlarged passage manifolds are awesome. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] Mike |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
I brought Gramma's car to my buddy Al's garage this morning. Did some exhaust clamp tightening after a heat cycle. Took it out for a spin to show Al how it runs. If you stomp on it off idle, it just sits there and spins, shifts into second still spinning and then slowly inches forward and eventually gets into third while still spinning. I REALLY need to get taller tires now. These 25" tall BFGs in the back need to go. I am looking at a 27" tall Nitto 255/50x17 which would match the stock tire height and both fill the wheelwell and make the rear gear a little easier to live with.
This photo is actually someone else's 74 Formula (that looks like the twin to Gramma's car). He has the Nitto 255/50x17s mounted on the Year One 17" Honeycombs. They fill the wheelwells a lot better than the 275/40x17s I have on there now. No one seems to make a 60 series 17" tire other than truck tread tires like a Long Trail T/A. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...74_formula.jpg Compared to my car: https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...1-s7007528.jpg |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the car also now runs about 15 degrees cooler on the temp gauge. Before it was consistently running at 195 to 200 degrees. Now it's operating in the 180 range.
...gas mileage has <span style="text-decoration: underline">not</span> improved. I think it's around 5 mpg now. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img] |
Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
Here's some detail shots of the manifold install. These are the larger, 2-1/2" outlet manifolds and they clear everything nicely and mate up to the 2-1/2" Pypes exhaust system very cleanly with no leaks.
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...2-img_1664.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...3-img_1669.jpg https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics...4-img_1663.jpg |
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